In the developed world, sewers are usually pipelines that begin with connecting pipes from buildings to one or more levels of larger underground trunk mains, which transport the sewage to sewage treatment facilities. Sewers are generally gravity powered, though pumps may be used if necessary. Pipes conveying sewage or other water carried waste from an individual building to a common gravity sewer line are called laterals. Branch sewers typically run under streets receiving laterals from buildings along that street and discharge by gravity into trunk sewers at manholes.
When a sewage line from a building becomes clogged or overloaded, sewage within the line may back up and flood the inside of the building. Sewer water backing up into a building can cause a great deal of damage. The water can do serious damage and may require total remodeling if an area used for living is damaged. Sewer backup can be the result of a variety of causes, but whatever the cause, the results can be devastating. Therefore, there is a need for an emergency backflow system which can utilize a backflow system existing in a building.
It is customary in lower floors of buildings to provide a drain in the floor for conducting water or other liquids to the sewer. Frequently, water collects in basements as a result of washing the floor or seepage through the walls. The floor is usually built at a slope to allow the water to flow by gravity to the drain. The common drain consists of a cover plate having a plurality of holes to strain out solids and to allow the water to flow through to a bowl which is attached at the bottom to a drain line which connects to a sewer line. Such drains work satisfactorily for floors which are relatively high with relation to the main sewer line. In some cases, however, the sewer line may become overloaded or blocked causing water to back up in the drain line to such an extent that the floor becomes flooded.
Heretofore, various means have been used to prevent back up water from the sewer line to flow through the drain and onto the floor within the building. These prior art devices have often been unduly expensive or have certain disadvantages which make their safety and dependability uncertain. For example, a back water valves have been inserted in the pipe below the drain bowl. One such valve is a ball type mechanism which is forced by the backup water against the underside of the bowl to close the bowl opening. Also, a plug with a stem for inserting and removing has been forced into the drain pipe to close the pipe. Such back up water valves or plugs are not always dependable as solids may lodge between them and the pipe so that they do not seat properly or they become loose whereby their usefulness is impaired.
Currently, the floor drain in addition to the role of drainage to meet outside, it needs to be able to put the living space and plumbing systems are separated so that odor and overflow will not run up the pipeline as an important component of residential drainage systems, floor drain performance a direct impact on indoor air quality, and human health are closely related.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention.